The lawyer Adam Ewing learns about the indigenous people of the South Pacific and their oppression on a ship in 1850. Young musician Robert Forbisher works on his Cloud Atlas Sextet in 1931 and is inspired by Ewing's diary. Journalist Luisa Rey investigates a covered-up nuclear power plant construction failure in 1975 and also learns about Forbisher. In the present, publisher Timothy Cavendish, who wants to publish Luisa Rey's story, is mistakenly committed to a nursing home. In the near future, the young replicant Sonmi-451, whose favorite film is the adaptation of Cavendish's life story, fights for recognition of her humanity. Finally, an episode takes place in the distant future, where human civilization has largely reverted back to the Stone Age. Only a hologram containing Sonmi's records bears witness to that long-gone time.
A wild journey through time and space, epochs and fashions, worlds of thought and views of the world - whereby what only seems to be past points far beyond the future and becomes a dark vision of what is yet to come. (...) What always prevails is the amazement and respect in the face of the exuberant visualization of the narrative: adventure film and thriller, science fiction and art film, satire and cultural-critical farce - the film plays courageously and passionately, quite willing to take risks on the keyboard of this crazy genre melange and finds an attractive visual equivalent for the literary image worlds.
The lawyer Adam Ewing learns about the indigenous people of the South Pacific and their oppression on a ship in 1850. Young musician Robert Forbisher works on his Cloud Atlas Sextet in 1931 and is inspired by Ewing's diary. Journalist Luisa Rey investigates a covered-up nuclear power plant construction failure in 1975 and also learns about Forbisher. In the present, publisher Timothy Cavendish, who wants to publish Luisa Rey's story, is mistakenly committed to a nursing home. In the near future, the young replicant Sonmi-451, whose favorite film is the adaptation of Cavendish's life story, fights for recognition of her humanity. Finally, an episode takes place in the distant future, where human civilization has largely reverted back to the Stone Age. Only a hologram containing Sonmi's records bears witness to that long-gone time.
A wild journey through time and space, epochs and fashions, worlds of thought and views of the world - whereby what only seems to be past points far beyond the future and becomes a dark vision of what is yet to come. (...) What always prevails is the amazement and respect in the face of the exuberant visualization of the narrative: adventure film and thriller, science fiction and art film, satire and cultural-critical farce - the film plays courageously and passionately, quite willing to take risks on the keyboard of this crazy genre melange and finds an attractive visual equivalent for the literary image worlds.